The documentary was definitely geared towards garnering sympathy for the Chinese that came on the Golden Venture. It followed the accounts of four people that survived the crash of the Golden Venture.

I was especially surprised to see that some of the immigrants came back illegally multiple times, even after being deported back to China. Rather than save the money, they spend tens of thousands to travel illegally to America. This really showed how desperate these people were. I think this documentary showed that the current immigration laws in place must be reviewed and possibly changed, in light of the fact that there are so many “illegal immigrants” currently in the United States.

Furthermore, after hearing their stories, I believe these immigrants deserve a certain amount of sympathy. The fact that they were detained in prison for such a long time because the government could not decide what action to take was somewhat ridiculous. Additionally, seeing these people realize how different life in America truly was compared to the expectations they had initially was disheartening. Some even had to stay, because at this point they had been separated from their families for so long there was nothing for them to go back to in China, or they would otherwise lose face if they went back. These people are trying to make a better life for themselves as any other person would do, and I am more inclined to believe they should have a chance.